Cutting Class
by theimpracticalgirl
Summary: What better way to cut a boring math class than to run away with a strange man in a blue box?


It was Monday. The sun was shining down on the start of yet another dull week in school. Melanie sat at her desk, doodling a bit on a piece of paper as she waited for the rest of her classmates to finish the quiz she'd already completed.

Melanie _hated_ quizzes. She hated _math_. She hated being in math class; _any_ class, really. She hated school, Mondays, her obnoxious classmates, the teacher, and most of all the sunny day that clashed horribly with her dark mood.

It wasn't like she was always like this; in fact, most of the time she was quite pleasant. There was just _something_ about today that made her feel absolutely _wretched_.

Suppressing a yawn, Melanie looked out the window. Her classroom was at the back of the school, and behind it was a park. There was nothing of interest out…The teacher called for attention, so she looked away, taking another piece of paper out of her binder for notes. She _hated_ notes…

Time passed slowly as the class wrote down theorems and formulas. Melanie quickly gave up and began doodling again on her paper. The air was filled with the hum of the air conditioner, and the teacher's monotonous droning.

Pencils scratched on paper, and someone's phone went off, the sound muffled in their backpack.

"Need I remind you of the detention policy?" The teacher asked, not even turning away from the whiteboard. Students glanced around to see who would reach into their backpack to turn their phone off, but nobody moved.

Eventually class moved on, and Melanie resumed doodling. Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she looked back out the window through the gap in the curtains.

She saw a man walking down a path in the park. He wasn't a particularly interesting man. He wore a brown suit with a long, tan trench coat trailing behind him. That outfit had to be hot; even though it was early fall and it was cooling down, it was still warm out.

What was really interesting were the cream colored Converse he worse. She glanced down at her own worn black pair. It was a peculiar choice for a man his age.

The teacher was still lecturing on in the background, and she heard the rustle of pages that meant she really should start paying attention again, but he was more amusing to watch.

Her eyes followed him down the path to the road that ran between the park and the school. He turned onto the sidewalk on the far side of the road, and headed straight to a blue box sitting on the concrete.

Melanie's eyebrows furrowed. When she'd looked out earlier, her eyes had slid right over and past it. She must have assumed it was a portable bathroom or something. Now, as she watched him push open the door and step inside, she realized it was some sort of…Police box?

She squinted at the sign above the door. What was a police public call box? A moment later the man stepped out again. Looking up, he seemed to make direct eye contact with her. Startled, Melanie tore her gaze away; embarrassed that she had been caught looking.

However, she felt herself peeking out of the corner of her eye at him. He leaned against the box nonchalantly, a smile plastered on his face. When he noticed her looking at him again, he waved. Melanie squinted at him. Did she know him? No, she was sure she had never seen him before. She glanced around outside, thinking that maybe there was someone else nearby. No…He was the only one out.

He waved at her, and impulsively Melanie raised a hand and pointed herself, a questioning look on her face. His smile turned into a grin, and he nodded. She blinked once. How odd. He beckoned to her. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she tilted her head to the side. He beckoned again. He wanted her to go out to him? No way! She didn't even know him. Quickly she shook her head back and forth, burgundy hair tossing back and forth in its ponytail. A frown crossed his face, and he beckoned again, this time more urgently.

Melanie narrowed her eyes at him. He appeared to sigh, and then motioned for her to cover her ears. Then he held up a hand, five fingers spread apart. He counted down on the fingers slowly, 5…4…3…2… At one, his other hand shot up, holding something in it that had a blue light on it. With a pang of alarm, she clapped her hands over her ears as the fire alarm went off, startling the whole class.

Students poured out of classrooms, chattering excitedly as they made their way to the rendezvous places for their classes in case of emergency. This wasn't a drill, not one that anyone new about, and everyone was bristling with nervous energy. Melanie's class went into the park behind the school and stood at the curb with their room number painted on it. With one last glance out the window at the man through the window before she left the classroom, she saw him beckon her again before disappearing inside the box again.

Normally she would have gone like a good student to the rendezvous, but he'd intrigued her. Besides, she hated class. If he tried anything, she had pepper spray on the keychain in her pocket, too. Glancing around and deciding that nobody would notice her slipping off in the commotion, she ducked around the fence and hurried to the box. She glanced back over her shoulder at the school, her hand on the door handle. Making a face at it, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.


End file.
